"Windows 8.1" may let you pretend that the Start screen never happened.

Love it or hate it, Windows 8's most significant user interface change is the Start screen and its accompanying Metro environment. It replaced the classic Start menu and is the first thing you'll see when you boot the operating system up. While the Windows desktop is still available in Windows 8 and works just as well as it ever has, the absence of the Start button and the need to use the Start screen has upset those who prefer the way things worked in Windows 7.

ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley is now reporting that the upcoming Windows Blue, also known as Windows 8.1, may be backtracking on some of these user interface decisions. According to her sources, the update may restore the Start button to the Windows desktop, as well as give users the ability to bypass the Start screen entirely at boot. Foley notes that she's not "100 percent sure" that these features will make it to the final version of Windows Blue, but that sources within Microsoft say that the company is at least considering both options. Interestingly enough, Foley's source makes no mention of the Start menu, just the button itself.

Even if both the Start button and the boot-to-desktop option are disabled by default in the next major Windows update, restoring the option to use both without resorting to third-party utilities or hacks seems like a prudent move. In particular, businesses afraid of retraining costs or user backlash will likely appreciate the ability to take advantage of Windows 8's under-the-hood enhancements and features without giving up a Windows 7-esque interface, to say nothing of people who are simply allergic to the new Start screen.

Windows Blue is due later this year, with a public preview expected in or around June. The update, which is something less than a full Windows release but something more than an update rollup or service pack, is Microsoft's opportunity to sand down Windows 8's rough edges and respond to the most common critiques of the operating system. Blue is also expected to bring new features and enhancements to the Metro environment, so if you enjoy the new interface (or if you're using it on a tablet, where it's less controversial than it is on the desktop), don't expect the new user interface to disappear.

That's one thing I just never really understood when Windows 8 was launched. It really would have been a simple thing for them to just make it a switchable option, like how the Classic theme works under Win7, and this entire mess would have been a non-issue. Instead they crammed a UI that quite many do not enjoy using which is probably a small part why people are not buying into it.

People like choice and forcing someone to change to accommodate your choice is not the way to go about it regardless if it's for the person's own good or not. I mean, consider we still have a large number of users still using Windows XP even though the OS is due to no longer be supported soon.

While I give Microsoft credit for now reconsidering their position on the entire Metro vs Classic interface I'm skeptical for now.

So is Windows Blue a service pack or a new thing you have to buy? Because that might make me consider upgrading to Win8.

If they're calling it 8.1 rather than 9, its a good bet it'll be a free update. They do have a vested interested in not totally pissing off their customers after all - this sounds like its supposed to soothe some of the worst offended 8 customers, while a paid upgrade would only inflame them further.

You can just install startisback on windows 8 as it is right now. It's bloody brilliant. It allows you to boot directly to desktop and if you need to go back to the other menu you can just ctrl+windows key to bring it up. It's otherwise nearly indistinguishable from 7 at a glance.

While there are plenty of issues on the desktop with the Metro paradigm, the start screen is unarguably better than the start menu. When using the start menu/screen there's no reason to be looking at the desktop, so there's no reason to confine it to awkward popups and fly-outs like the start menu does. It would be a shame if MS backed down on this, I would much rather them work on bigger problems, like the inability to treat metro apps like normal windows.

Realistically though, if you are using either for anything more than typing in what you want and picking form the search results, you are doing it wring.

I must say I have started to like Win 8, but not the start menu of it. I don't understand how they came up with something like that, without the proper folders of where the apps are installed etc. The whole structure of the start menu is gone, and I hope they will bring the old one back indeed.

It's been hashed and rehashed, but the decision to completely remove the Start button was inane. It should have been optionally removed. Same with where to boot to. If there intention was that this product would never be used in a workplace setting on traditional devices they could have saved themselves a lot of bad customer vibes by communicating that. If not, then they are as clueless as the #dealwithit Orth fellow.

Windows 8 could be nice if it acknowledged the customers that put the company where it is.

While there are plenty of issues on the desktop with the Metro paradigm, the start screen is unarguably better than the start menu. When using the start menu/screen there's no reason to be looking at the desktop, so there's no reason to confine it to awkward popups and fly-outs like the start menu does. It would be a shame if MS backed down on this, I would much rather them work on bigger problems, like the inability to treat metro apps like normal windows.

I must say I have started to like Win 8, but not the start menu of it. I don't understand how they came up with something like that, without the proper folders of where the apps are installed etc. The whole structure of the start menu is gone, and I hope they will bring the old one back indeed.

Search search search. There's no reason to awkwardly dig though nested menus when you can start typing the name of a program or what you want to do, and the right option just shows up.

Nice, metro is a disaster. Our main PC had a removable drive tray, and that's the only way I was able to play with windows 8, my wife was so unhappy with it. I understand MS's desire to hamfist their way into a ui that bridges all their products, but it just doesn't work as well.

Stupid little things keep getting in the way. In the windows 7 start menu, I can hit the start button and type "uninstall" and be presented with both program and control panel options, windows 8 keeps them seperate, and I have to click on control panel to get those search results. Adding something like a printer takes the full screen in windows 8, since that control panel happens to be metro style - a waste of real estate when I have a 1080 monitor.

I'll happily move to Blue if it gets rid of the metro annoyances. It might be fine on a WXGA tablet, but has never been appropriate for a desktop. Because aside from a few annoyances, I've been otherwise pleased with Win8.

"According to her sources, the update may restore the Start menu to the Windows desktop"

Actually your source says (at least in the linked article) that it may restore the Start *button*. I imagine it would still go to the Start screen. That's a trivial change, actually rebuilding the Start menu would be bigger.

While it is minor, it improves discoverability and costs minimal screen real estate, it seems like a good idea to me. Some kind of cue for finding the Charms bar would also be a good idea.

"According to her sources, the update may restore the Start menu to the Windows desktop"

Actually your source says (at least in the linked article) that it may restore the Start *button*. I imagine it would still go to the Start screen. That's a trivial change, actually rebuilding the Start menu would be bigger.

Except it isn't because all of the relevant bits are there for the start menu already, they're just turned off.

"According to her sources, the update may restore the Start menu to the Windows desktop"

Actually your source says (at least in the linked article) that it may restore the Start *button*. I imagine it would still go to the Start screen. That's a trivial change, actually rebuilding the Start menu would be bigger.

While it is minor, it improves discoverability and costs minimal screen real estate, it seems like a good idea to me. Some kind of cue for finding the Charms bar would also be a good idea.

whoever thought hot corners was smart needs fired... Using a high dpi mouse its a pita to hit it

I must say I have started to like Win 8, but not the start menu of it. I don't understand how they came up with something like that, without the proper folders of where the apps are installed etc. The whole structure of the start menu is gone, and I hope they will bring the old one back indeed.

Search search search. There's no reason to awkwardly dig though nested menus when you can start typing the name of a program or what you want to do, and the right option just shows up.

Search is great - it worked well in Win 7 too - just type what you want and up it pops. The difference is in Win 8 is you have a massive, disruptive, whole monitor start screen dedicated to your search. I find the transition to the start screen very jarring.

The size of the start menu in Win 7 was big enough to show your search results. You're attention is focused in one area, the results are shown in proximity to where you are typing your search query. Also I find a vertical list of items much easier to scan through than the weird layout in Windows 8.

The start button is very important when you have an RDP window to a Win2012 machine and have to carefully move your mouse to the corner because stupid keyboard commands don't work when not in full screen.

Beyond that...if desktop apps installed on windows 8 didn't fill the start screen with a billion stupid files it would be fine.

So is Windows Blue a service pack or a new thing you have to buy? Because that might make me consider upgrading to Win8.

If they're calling it 8.1 rather than 9, its a good bet it'll be a free update. They do have a vested interested in not totally pissing off their customers after all - this sounds like its supposed to soothe some of the worst offended 8 customers, while a paid upgrade would only inflame them further.

Considering Windows 7 was actually Windows 6.1 (as in, a minor update to Vista) and was still a paid upgrade, I doubt it will be free. Likewise, "Windows 8" is "Windows 6.2" and it was also a paid upgrade...

When using the start menu/screen there's no reason to be looking at the desktop, so there's no reason to confine it to awkward popups and fly-outs like the start menu does. It would be a shame if MS backed down on this, I would much rather them work on bigger problems, like the inability to treat metro apps like normal windows.

Realistically though, if you are using either for anything more than typing in what you want and picking form the search results, you are doing it wring.

There's no reason to stay in your workspace when using your computer? I wish I'd known that years ago! I always figured even with all of Window's customability, there must be only one proper way to use it. Nice to know.

If I have to choose between navigating a giant screen of garish blocks, some flickering like Flash ads, or a quick drop-menu that doesn't take me out of my workspace (widgets, movies running, pretty desktop picture, no Fisher-Price blocks), I'll take what works easiest, requires the least amount of mouse movement, and doesn't trigger a gag reflex in my eyeballs.

It's good that they're putting the option back in there, for all the complaints the start screen has generated. I like the start screen just fine, and it still boggles my mind that so many have had such an issue with it.

I understand complaints about modern ui apps on desktop, it's a little awkward to have full screen apps on a desktop, so I made sure desktop apps were the default programs to open all file types, but I still like the start screen for searching and opening less frequently used applications.

I believe they mentioned previously that they would be going to frequent cheaper upgrades. I'll be interested to see what improvements they've made in 8.1.

So is Windows Blue a service pack or a new thing you have to buy? Because that might make me consider upgrading to Win8.

Based on what I'm reading, there will be more frequent releases. My guess is that point upgrades will be free or very low cost.

Regardless, if you wait until Blue is official, then you can just buy that and skip the conventional Windows 8 altogether.

However, I think the other improvements in Windows 8 are enough to upgrade anyway (along with a third party Start menu; I use Start8 and ClassicShell). I love having Hyper-V built in to the OS (yes, I'm a developer). That right there will save me roughly $100 a year, since I can get off of VMWare.

The start screen bothered me for about 2 minutes after that I pretty much used it like I used the start menu. Honestly there are much bigger UI problems then that to complain about (such as the file copy error dialog... really what were they thinking?).

I like the Start Screen, if only because it's hell of a lot easier to hit large squares spread out across the whole screen rather than dig through a drop down menu that's limited to a fraction of your screen space.

Microsoft could've bridged the tablet-computer divide better had they simply redesigned the start menu to work more like OS X's Launchpad or Ubuntu's Unity menu...IMO, of course.

They will not be bringing back the start menu. They found some code that would allow bypassing the Start Screen on boot-up, so there's actual hard evidence behind that. I've seen nothing that says they'll bring back the menu.

I believe MS stated they are going more the Apple route with smaller, cheaper, regular feature updates. IE: ~$20 for 8.1. I'm guessing service packs are a thing of the past but we'll have to wait and see.